News Reports for January 22, 2009

Shandong bans poultry breeding to contain bird flu

JINAN - East China's Shandong Province banned raising poultry in urban areas and protected water areas after a 27-year-old woman died of bird flu, said an official on Wednesday. The provincial health campaign was triggered by the death of the woman surnamed Zhang on Saturday, which was the second death from bird flu in China this year. Zhang, who lived in Jinan, the provincial capital, fell ill on January 5 and went to hospital when getting worse.
(Snip)
People who had close contact with Zhang had been under observation of health experts, but no one was found infected.
(Snip)
After the four cases, the country has ordered increased monitoring and management of live poultry markets. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/c...

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Wed Jan 21, 2009 at 22:49:06 PM CST

Indonesia's spin on the two latest deaths

Crofsblogs- 2 bird flu deaths reported. But it's the spin that's more interesting.

Excerpt:
The ministry denied accusations that it was trying to obscure the actual number of bird flu fatalities in Indonesia.

"We never try to cover up the real situation of bird flu in Indonesia, but there are some procedures to be done before we can publish the statistics,"

(Snip) Iwan said tissue samples from each suspect must undergo laboratory testing twice before the ministry was able to declare whether or not the death had been caused by bird flu. He said only the director general of communicable diseases or the health minister are authorized to make statements confirming the cases.

"There were too many speculations out there. That is why we only release the information through one door," (Snip)The ministry's spokesperson, Lily Sulistyowati, said that the ministry would only release an update on bird flu victims during certain times. "We will not announce deaths caused by bird flu one by one. Otherwise, it would feel like we're racing to get the highest number of victims," (Snip) http://crofsblogs.typepad.com/...

(Note: LMAO, yea right! You never try to coverup the real situation of bird flu in Indonesia. What a joke that is.)

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Wed Jan 21, 2009 at 23:00:48 PM CST

One of the more ludicrous statements out of indo yet!

"We will not announce deaths caused by bird flu one by one. Otherwise, it would feel like we're racing to get the highest number of victims,"

What?  Like, there is some prestige to having the highest death toll on the planet from H5N1, and everyone is after that "winning score"?

Like, we don't want to be patting ourselves on the back and looking snobbish about how many cases of human bf we have, so we'll just hold back on reporting out of modesty?!

Always have a plan B.

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by: maryinhawaii @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 10:00:15 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Rupandehi's chicken farmers shook up

BUTWAL, Nepal - Jan 22 - The poultry industry in Rupandehi has been hit hard after an outbreak of bird flu was reported in Kakkarbhitta, Jhapa. Traders fear that the virus could enter the region through the Indian border and destroy the industry. According to the Lumbini Poultry Trade Forum, sales of chicken meat have decreased by 30 percent. (Snip)

"The news that pigeons had been killed in Siddhababa has increased anxiety among entrepreneurs," said Hom Bahadur Galami (Snip)

The forum has organised a cautionary programme that includes testing chickens for the virus, informing small entrepreneurs about the symptoms of the disease and ways to eliminate it, and investigating the sources from where chickens and eggs are brought to market. It has also arranged to reinforce the border check post to control the import of chickens and eggs from India. Continued: http://www.kantipuronline.com/...

(Note: There is no explanation on the death of the pigeons so I don't know if they were culled or maybe they died from bird flu.)

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Wed Jan 21, 2009 at 23:23:32 PM CST

Uganda: Meningitis outbreak is spreading

The health ministry has reported an outbreak of meningitis in Masindi district, a week after the deadly disease was reported in Hoima and Arua districts. (Snip)

The New Vision yesterday [19 Jan 2009] that 15
cases of meningitis had been reported in Masindi, with 4 deaths. He said the outbreak had affected Pakanyi sub-county. "There are fears that it may be spreading to Kigumba," said Mugisha. (Snip)

The outbreak in Masindi follows reported outbreaks in Dadama and Oluko sub-counties in Arua and Kigorobya sub-county in Hoima. Mugisha said the ministry was preparing to carry out a mass vaccination exercise in the affected districts.

The ministry identified the outbreak to be the meningococcal meningitis, which is caused by bacteria transmitted from person-to-person through contact with throat secretions.
(Snip)
------------------------------
The Ugandan meningococcal meningitis outbreak continues to spread, now involving the Masindi district, which lies between the Arua district to the north and the Hoima district to the south, where the disease was previously reported. The meningococcal serogroups causing this outbreak have not as yet been specified. http://apex.oracle.com/pls/otn...

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Wed Jan 21, 2009 at 23:37:44 PM CST

High Levels of H1N1 Tamiflu Resistance in Korea Continue

Recombinomics Commentary January 21, 2009

1,854 influenza viruses were isolated until the 2nd week in 2008-2009 season. 1,772 viruses were identified as A/H1N1 type and 82 viruses were identified as A/H3N2 type.

(Snip) Korean CDC reflect high levels of H1N1 oseltamivir resistance and an associated high ILI rate, 11.96%. Although this level was lower than the 17.63% in the prior week, it was still above the high for last season, which was below 10%, and extends the double digit rate to three straight weeks. Moreover, the number of new H1N1 isolates, 497, was similar to the 508 isolates a week earlier and signaled a continuing explosion of oseltamivir resistance in South Korea.

The Japan NIH recently released a phylogenetc tree that included 33 recent isolates from Japan, which were similar to the isolates in the United States this season, all of which had A193T in the receptor binding domain, suggesting this acquisition was the key driver in the emergence of H1N1 with H274Y.  Japan has reported a number of school closings which have been linked to H1N1. Continued: http://www.recombinomics.com/N...

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 00:01:53 AM CST

no problem, move along

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap...

China Health Ministry: Bird flu epidemic unlikely

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by: DemFromCT @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 02:31:03 AM CST

Indonesia: Our nearly forgotten pandemic

Great to see Emmy Fitri. And she's takling pandemic, not just flu burung:

Emmy Fitri and Arie Rukmantara , JAKARTA
Thu, 01/22/2009 4:35 PM | Opinion
http://www.thejakartapost.com/...

"Influenza pandemic" is a household term in Indonesia, yet, all too often, the problem seems foreign to us because when we talk about flu pandemics we usually refer to incidents that happened on the other side of the world.

One of the most widely cited examples is the 1918 flu pandemic, which is considered the worst plague in world history because of its massive death toll and extensive spread. Around 30 million people were killed in the pandemic - also known as the Spanish Flu - mostly in America, Europe and Africa.

Little do we know that our great-great grandparents fought in the same battle.

Alex Crosby (America's Forgotten Pandemic), John M. Barry (The Great Influenza) and Gina Kolata (Flu) along with scores of scientific papers on the 1918 pandemic have detailed how the epidemic struck, killed more people than World War I and disrupted health services.

But none of these works mention what happened here in Indonesia. Thus, psychologically, it is hard to relate to, as we get the impression that pandemic-prevention talks are simply fear mongering, a far-flung threat to our comfort. Historical records of the Dutch colonial administration show that our ancestors did not escape the havoc of the 1918 flu.

In the 1980s, Collin Brown, an Australian historian, published a paper titled The Influenza Pandemic of 1918 in Indonesia, which gives us an idea of what happened during the period. Around 1.5 million people died in Dutch East Indies, which was then home to just some 30 million people.

The first case was reported on the east coast of Sumatra. By July 1918, it had spread to Java and Kalimantan before reaching Bali and Sulawesi. It then reached the eastern part of the archipelago in Maluku and Timor.

It seemed to die down for several weeks, but soon reemerged.

The second wave came in October 1918 and was more widespread. Like the pandemic in the US and Europe, the second wave brought the most deaths. These deaths were recorded in the Dutch Kolonial Verslaag (Colonial Journal).

Some of Brown's reports show the horror of the pandemic situation. In Southeast Sulawesi, a Catholic missionary was quoted as saying that "deaths are everywhere". According to the report, in one Sulawesi village, 177 of its 900 people died in a period of just three weeks.

In Tana Toraja, 10 percent of the population reportedly died from the flu. Meanwhile, according to the Dutch regional administration, 36,000 people in Lombok, or 5.9 percent of the island's population, died.

Statistics are scarce and it is hard to gain a sense of what truly happened. Brown's research shows that most fatalities occurred in people aged between their mid-teens and mid-fifties, the same age bracket that has been most affected by the bird flu in Indonesia.

A medical journal by a Dutch physician, P.B. Van Steenies, however, reported that 46 percent the 777 flu related deaths recorded in Magelang, Central Java, between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, 1918, were children aged 10 years or younger. Another 14 percent were people of aged 60 or more.

The Dutch Colonial government issued an Influenza Ordinance to ensure that any future outbreaks in the archipelago could be rapidly detected and contained. It also set up a commission to investigate the cause of the pandemic.

The commission's report, according to Brown, is heavily technical, devoting much attention to the clinical and biological element of the epidemic. It failed to reveal the mystery of the deadly flu.

The mystery lingers to this day. What would happen if a pandemic breaks loose - heaven forbid - again, in this more globalized world, with fast moving air traffic, a larger population and more enclosed environments like office buildings and shopping malls, where people are in close contact?

Without trying to scare people, the murky history of the pandemic should be unearthed, studied and made public so that with an entirely different setting of better infrastructure and human resource capacities, the country - the hardest hit by the H5N1 strain of the avian influenza virus - can learn lessons for our greater good.

For that part, historians could play a role to face the present challenge and prove that history does not only belong to the past, it makes us what we are today.

That an estimated 60 million people, or one fourth of Indonesia's population, could be infected by the virus once it gains the ability to transmit from human to human, we put too much at stake if we don't take the matter seriously. As popular wisdom says, history tends to repeat itself if we don't learn form it.

Emmy Fitri is a staff writer with The Jakarta Post. Arie Rukmantara is a consultant for a UN agency in Indonesia and the article reflects his personal views.

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by: Pixie @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 05:24:18 AM CST

Posted same article

Pixie,

 Hi. Just noticed I reposted the same article you did.

 Sorry,

Kobie

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by: Kobie @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 05:31:02 AM CST

[ Parent ]

UK - Fighting Flu - Potential Treatment Breakthrough

StorY
St Andrews' scientists have made a breakthrough in the search for potential new treatments for influenza. Researchers at the Centre for Biomolecular Sciences have engineered novel proteins designed to combat the disease.

The proteins are designed to mask the sugar molecules in the respiratory tract that viruses such as the influenza virus need to bind to in order to cause an infection.

Professor Garry Taylor and postdoctoral research fellow, Dr Helen Connaris have been awarded £150,000 by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council to develop novel therapeutics for the treatment of respiratory diseases such as influenza.

Professor Taylor explained, "The influenza virus continues to be a major problem as evidenced by the recent outbreaks in the UK, and there is the constant threat of a major pandemic.

"Vaccines provide good protection against currently circulating strains of influenza, but are not effective in giving protection against a completely new strain that may arise.

source
http://www.medicalnewstoday.co...

comment freely

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by: Kobie @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 05:26:50 AM CST

Indonesia - Jakarta - Our nearly forgotten pandemic

Story
"Influenza pandemic" is a household term in Indonesia, yet, all too often, the problem seems foreign to us because when we talk about flu pandemics we usually refer to incidents that happened on the other side of the world.

One of the most widely cited examples is the 1918 flu pandemic, which is considered the worst plague in world history because of its massive death toll and extensive spread. Around 30 million people were killed in the pandemic - also known as the Spanish Flu - mostly in America, Europe and Africa.

Little do we know that our great-great grandparents fought in the same battle.

But none of these works mention what happened here in Indonesia. Thus, psychologically, it is hard to relate to, as we get the impression that pandemic-prevention talks are simply fear mongering, a far-flung threat to our comfort. Historical records of the Dutch colonial administration show that our ancestors did not escape the havoc of the 1918 flu.

In the 1980s, Collin Brown, an Australian historian, published a paper titled The Influenza Pandemic of 1918 in Indonesia, which gives us an idea of what happened during the period. Around 1.5 million people died in Dutch East Indies, which was then home to just some 30 million people.

A medical journal by a Dutch physician, P.B. Van Steenies, however, reported that 46 percent the 777 flu related deaths recorded in Magelang, Central Java, between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, 1918, were children aged 10 years or younger. Another 14 percent were people of aged 60 or more.

Source
http://old.thejakartapost.com/...

comment freely

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by: Kobie @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 05:29:41 AM CST

China - Beijing - China starts daily bird flu reporting system

StorY
China has started a daily bird flu reporting system for poultry and human cases after four people were infected with the H5N1 virus this month, three fatally, the Health Ministry said on Thursday.

The Health Ministry, Agriculture Ministry and the State Administration for Industry and Commerce are requiring provincial departments to report every day on whether or not there have been infections in their areas.

Daily reporting has been implemented during previous outbreaks of bird flu and severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, and it underscores the government's worries over potential epidemics.

A spokesman at the Health Ministry's press office said the system was put in place earlier this week, when the death of a 16-year-old student infected with the virus in southwest China was announced.

A 27-year-old woman in eastern China and a 19-year-old woman in Beijing have also died from the disease this month.

A 2-year-old girl sickened with bird flu remained hospitalized in the country's north. Her mother, who like the toddler was also exposed to live poultry, died from pneumonia earlier this month, but health officials say they cannot confirm that she had been infected with H5N1.

Source
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/...

no area for comments

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by: Kobie @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 05:35:12 AM CST

Viet Nam - Saigon - Chinese poultry smuggled into Vietnam raises bird flu fears

Story
With China confirming a third death from bird flu -- that of a 16-year-old boy -- in Hunan Province this year and Xinhua news agency reporting a mass cull in the affected areas, poultry smuggled in from that country into Vietnam threatens not only farmers but also consumers here.

Lots of chickens and other poultry sold in northern Vietnam are of Chinese origin Border guards in the northern mountain province of Lang Son recently seized 16 contraband chickens for tests and found eight infected with the virulent H5N1 virus.

Market authorities have caught dozens of trucks each trying to smuggle in up to two tons of poultry at Lang Son, Bac Ninh, Bac Giang, Quang Ninh and Ha Noi.

Veterinary officials in Lang Son Province have carried out tests and found that 50 percent of 16 tested samples from smuggled poultry have the H5N1 virus, the head of the province's animal health agency, Do Van Duoc, said.

Duong Van Sinh, the head of market management in Lang Son Province, admitted it would be hard to eradicate the smuggling because smugglers earn huge profits from selling poultry.

They buy it at VND12,000-12,700 a kilogram in China but get VND60,000-70,000 for it here.

Officials are worried because people have consumed some dead poultry and no tests have been made to determine if birds are sick.

Source
http://www.saigon-gpdaily.com....

no area for comment

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by: Kobie @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 05:41:02 AM CST

Taiwan - WHO agrees to include Taiwan in IHR framework

Story
Taiwan has made a major breakthrough in its campaign for the right to participate in the World Health Organization (WHO).

The head of Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control, Steve Kuo, said Thursday that the WHO has agreed to cover Taiwan in the framework of the International Health Regulations (IHR).

The IHR aims to prevent, protect against, control, and provide a public health response to the international spread of diseases. Taiwan had been trying to join the IHR network since it was implemented in 2006, but had received no response. Taiwan was unable to contact the WHO directly, due to the organization's one China policy. That meant that all contact with the WHO had to go through China, which opposes Taiwan's participation in the world health body.

Kuo said that with IHR coverage, Taiwan will no longer be left to its own devices when major diseases such as SARS and bird flu strike. He said the WHO will be able to send in experts to help, and Taiwanese health professionals can also join in WHO meetings.

Source
http://english.rti.org.tw/Cont...

comment freely

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by: Kobie @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 05:46:54 AM CST

Wo! this is a major breakthrough

High time!  Politics should not be allowed to trump global health security.



All 'safety concerns' are hypothetical.  If not, they'd be called side effects...

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by: SusanC @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 09:56:24 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Um...

Could this be related to the recent bird flu cases in China?  The timing is a bit suspicious if you ask me.  You think they know something we don't?  Hmm...  I hope my bit of speculation is wrong.

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by: Okieman @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 10:56:00 AM CST

[ Parent ]

I don't know, I don't think so

These are diplomatic issues and they have really long lead times for resolution.  I'd be very surprised that those negotiating on this issue (ie diplomats) have their fingers on the pulse of outbreaks in China itself, which would be the domain of the Health Ministry.  In fact, if I remember correctly, ADOM once talked about how long it takes for any resolution to get through the bureaucracy, in any UN agency.  So, to me, the timeline does not suggest that kind of relationship.



All 'safety concerns' are hypothetical.  If not, they'd be called side effects...

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by: SusanC @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 11:20:09 AM CST

[ Parent ]

I agree with you Okieman.

The timing is suspicious. Taiwan has been begging for years for IHR status. IMO, it didn't take some long drawn out process now, as Susan says, to grant it since it had been well thought out for so long and the only thing blocking the move by WHO was that they allowed China to tell them what to do. I don't believe it took more than a simple meeting and signing the documents. I definitely think the present human bird flu cases in China brought this about.  

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 17:42:41 PM CST

[ Parent ]

More agreement . . .

"Suspicious" indeed.

As the saying goes, "timing is everything".  In this case, cause and effect sure seem to be in play.

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by: Clawdia @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 20:58:20 PM CST

[ Parent ]

WHO <-> Taiwan = Agreed!

  More real time data and transparency!

 Information should flow both ways. "For there is no monopoly on common sense on either side of the political fence" - Sting

  I whis the WHO would open up even more but understand that governments will no opeen up completly so they need to respect some confidentiality if the WHO wants the inside story before it is released.

  Now if we could just get some flubies on the ground in each country to post their findings.

Kobie

 

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by: Kobie @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 15:11:17 PM CST

[ Parent ]

What a difference the Chinese cases make.

This tells me one thing. A pandemic is closer to becoming a reality and they are even more convinced it will be the H5N1 strain. China has always been dead set against Taiwan being included so I am wondering just how much information the WHO has on these lastest cases in China. Like maybe there are more cases, as I suspect, than the "Beijing Boys" are admitting too, there has been a change in the virus and there is definite proof of h2h. IMO, for WHO to all of a sudden, against China's demands that Taiwan never be included, have this change in policy.....well, something is up!!

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 10:54:26 AM CST

[ Parent ]

It isn't really clear if Taiwan did an "end around" China to get this approval.

My interpretation of this quote (below) is that the change of policy that allowed Taiwan direct contact with WHO in order to join the IHR network may have come from China

Taiwan had been trying to join the IHR network since it was implemented in 2006, but had received no response. Taiwan was unable to contact the WHO directly, due to the organization's one China policy. That meant that all contact with the WHO had to go through China, which opposes Taiwan's participation in the world health body.

It was WHO's policy to only recognize "one China", coupled with China's opposition to Taiwan's participation, that had kept Taiwan out. But it doesn't really say that WHO changed that policy despite China's continued opposition to Taiwan's participation, nor does it say it was due to China dropping their opposition to Taiwan either.

Susan? You have the expertise on the politics in the area: Can you weigh in?

Always have a plan B.

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by: maryinhawaii @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 21:49:08 PM CST

[ Parent ]

you're on the right track, IMO

First of all, diplomatic relations between states (countries) are matters negotiated between the states themselves.  eg Taiwan was a founding member of the UN.  For many years after WW2, the US recognized Taiwan (or ROC)but not China (or PRC).  But over time, more and more countries established diplomatic relations with China, and the pressure grew.

This is from wikipedia article China and the United Nations

From the 1960s onwards, nations friendly to the PRC, led by the People's Republic of Albania under Enver Hoxha, moved an annual resolution in the General Assembly to transfer China's seat at the UN from the ROC to the PRC. Every year the United States was able to assemble a majority of votes to block this resolution. But the admission of newly independent developing nations in the 1960s gradually turned the General Assembly from being Western-dominated to being dominated by countries sympathetic to Beijing. In addition, the desire of the Nixon administration to improve relations with the de facto government of mainland China to counterbalance the Soviet Union reduced American willingness to support the ROC.

As a result of these trends, on October 25, 1971, Resolution 2758 was passed by the General Assembly, withdrawing recognition of the ROC as the legitimate government of China, and recognizing the PRC as the sole legitimate government of China. PRC received support from two-thirds of all United Nations' members including approval by the Security Council members excluding the ROC.

The WHO, as a subsidiary agency of the UN, has to follow the UN General Assembly and Security Council's position.  If it wants Taiwan to participate in the IHR, then it has to get the agreement of the member states.  Remember the staff of the WHO are really civil servants.  They may advocate certain actions, but ultimately the decision rests with the member states, formally through the World Health Assembly.  This issue has been the subject of intense negotiations; the executive body of the WHO has been pretty clear that they believe Taiwan should be part of the global disease reporting and surveillance and other processes governed by the IHR.  The SARS outbreak affecting Taiwan made it even more ridiculous that it wasn't part of this global health network.  So I would imagine that ultimately this step is reached only after opposition from China has been dropped.



All 'safety concerns' are hypothetical.  If not, they'd be called side effects...

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by: SusanC @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 22:20:08 PM CST

[ Parent ]

in other words

if Taiwan wanted to be part of the IHR process, and applied to the WHO/UN, the WHO (as the executive body) has to get the agreement of the member states.  It's not their call, although as I said they can help make the case.  

The most important issue is member states are sovereign.  ie the UN acts to serve the member states, not the other way round.



All 'safety concerns' are hypothetical.  If not, they'd be called side effects...

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by: SusanC @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 22:25:18 PM CST

[ Parent ]

"has to get the agreement of the member states"

Well, it was my understanding that all the member countries were all for Taiwan getting IHR status. Wasn't it said by some of the them that it was dangerous not to include Taiwan? China was the one blocking it.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 22:48:06 PM CST

[ Parent ]

yep, China was the one blocking it

and therefore the WHO could not have made the decision without the agreement of China.  



All 'safety concerns' are hypothetical.  If not, they'd be called side effects...

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by: SusanC @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 23:03:26 PM CST

[ Parent ]

also, I don't know about 'all the member countries'

being all for Taiwan getting IHR status.  In general, if there is disagreement or objection, then the matter is put to a vote, at which point you'll see countries voting as blocs, based on mutual interests not necessarily related to the matter at hand.  The Doha round of the WTO negotiations is a prime example of bloc voting created havoc (or gridlock).

If the matter cannot be resolved at the World Health Assembly, it can go to the General Assembly and ultimately the Security Council.  If China wanted to block something, I'm pretty sure they will and do lobby other countries pretty hard to make sure it's blocked. And that's not unique to China.  US and Europe also do the same thing.  



All 'safety concerns' are hypothetical.  If not, they'd be called side effects...

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by: SusanC @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 23:13:20 PM CST

[ Parent ]

actually this isn't quite right

It was WHO's policy to only recognize "one China"

Excuse me for being pedantic, ;-) but this is actually an important point.  The word 'policy' suggests significant autonomy in decision making.  On the issue of diplomatic status ie whether one recognizes 'one China' or not, that decision is in the hands of the General Assembly and the diplomatic delegations from member states.  Neither the executive at the UN eg Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, nor at the WHO, ie Margaret Chan, has the power to make such a determination.  

Confusion sometimes arises because the name 'United Nations' is used to denote both the gathering of countries (a bit like a member's club) and the UN Secretariat which is the equivalent of a civil service within a country.  Again wikipedia comes to the rescue ;-)

The United Nations Secretariat is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and it is headed by the United Nations Secretary-General, assisted by a staff of international civil servants worldwide. It provides studies, information, and facilities needed by United Nations bodies for their meetings. It also carries out tasks as directed by the UN Security Council, the UN General Assembly, the UN Economic and Social Council, and other U.N. bodies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U...

All 'safety concerns' are hypothetical.  If not, they'd be called side effects...

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by: SusanC @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 22:42:27 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Great work, Kobie. n/t

"I am opposed to any form of tyranny over the mind of man."  Thomas Jefferson

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by: History Lover @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 10:59:54 AM CST

[ Parent ]

I only found the story

HistoryLover,

  Thank you. Like all the other news hounds I only found the story. News is what helps make our little part of flublogia special.

Kobie
"If you do not know where you are going then any road will take you there and you may even feel like you are making progress"

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by: Kobie @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 15:12:28 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Nepal - Nepal birdflu outbreak leads to culling; Indian poultry banned

Story
Nepalese authorities have begun culling thousands of poultry in response to an outbreak of bird flu in the south-eastern region of the country and banned the poultry products from India as a precautionary measure, a WHO report said on Thursday.

The government, it said, had officially declared the outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain on January 16 after samples of dead chickens collected in the Jhapa district earlier in the week were tested.

Authorities have declared districts bordering India as 'High Risk Zones' and banned the import of poultry products from the country, after birdflu outbreaks in the bordering Indian states of West Bengal and Assam were reported in December last, the report said.

Source
http://www.zeenews.com/south-a...

comment freely

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by: Kobie @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 05:49:22 AM CST

Africa - Nigeria - Nigeria: Sokoto Intensifies Action On Bird Flu

StorY
Sokoto State government says it is poised towards ensuring that avian influenza, popularly known to as bird flu, is effectively curbed in the state.

The state Commissioner, Ministry for Animal Health and Fisheries Development, Alhaji Kabiru Aminu Tafida who stated this Sokoto, said part of the efforts towards the control of avian influenza was the presentation of control and preventive materials against the disease to desk officers of the 23 local government areas in the state

Source
http://allafrica.com/stories/2...

no area for comment

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by: Kobie @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 06:01:53 AM CST

Flu Strain Eludes Vaccine in Houston

http://www.chron.com/disp/stor...
January 22, 2009, by Eric Berger
About half of the Houston influenza specimens tested by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in December were caused by a strain of the illness not covered by this years flu vaccine. Of the 19 flu positives, nine were influenza B, and most, if not all, of those were in the Victoria lineage not included in the flu vaccine, according to a report by Texas Childrens Hospitals Diagnostic Virology Laboratory, which collected the viral cultures.

Texas Childrens also reported its first childhood flu death of the season, a 16-year-old boy with the influenza B virus. The hospital offered no other details. With children back in school following the Christmas holiday, flu
activity has picked up across the nation during recent weeks. Texas is now one of 10 states where influenza has reached the third of five levels used to characterize flu activity, according to the CDC.

Hardy strain
Earlier this year, health practitioners across the country raised concerns about the apparent predominance of the influenza A H3 strain this season. Although the strain was among the three included in this seasons flu vaccine, it has become resistant to Tamiflu, the most widely used antiviral drug used to mitigate the flus effects. The good news, say pediatricians, is that none of the influenza B
lineages has shown resistance to Tamiflu if the drug is given within 48 hours of the ailments onset.

So why wasn't the Victoria strain found in Houston included in this years vaccine?  Because of the way vaccines are produced, they can provide protection
against only three strains, said Dr. Paul Glezen, a flu specialist at Baylor College of Medicine. Typically, a vaccine protects against two influenza A strains and one B strain. The vaccine-makers apparently missed the lineage of influenza B that will be most common in the
United States this year.
(more)

"I am opposed to any form of tyranny over the mind of man."  Thomas Jefferson

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by: History Lover @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 07:08:35 AM CST

Effect Measure: China syndrome?

So I am left where we all are. We can speculate and fret but at the moment we don't know. If and when a significant change occurs it will declare itself. When and if that happens I fear we won't be ready for what might come. If. And if, when.

http://scienceblogs.com/effect...

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by: DemFromCT @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 07:25:23 AM CST

Dem you beat me to it LOL

I was just going to post.  Great commentary by revere, as usual.



All 'safety concerns' are hypothetical.  If not, they'd be called side effects...

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by: SusanC @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 09:57:07 AM CST

[ Parent ]

This is from a blog site, I thought it was interesting.

Core Dump - A blog by Keith Soltys

Has avian flu mutated again?
There are several disturbing reports coming out of China about human cases of avian flue that don't appear to be connected with outbreaks of the bird-to-bird H5N1 flu. This raises the spectre of asymptomatic avian flu in chickens. To put it mildly, this would not be good.

If we are producing, either through vaccine boo-boos or via natural selection (or both) an H5N1 virus that no longer causes chickens to die in staggering numbers but still continues to shed H5N1 virus, now that is scary news.

So what if, suddenly, we have lost our most important sentinels in the fight against pandemic H5N1? What if the virus has not changed, but the conditions for infection have? I am saying that if it is true that we have asymptomatic fowl in China and in other parts of Asia, and possibly Egypt, and as a result it is becoming easier for humans to get infected simply because fowl are not doing their duty and dying to warn us, then perhaps it is time to reassess that threat level once again.

When you lose a major source of intelligence when fighting a deadly foe, what do you do? When intelligence experts lose their eyes and ears, they ratchet up the threat level to compensate while they regroup and re-establish their eyes and ears. http://www.soltys.ca/coredump/...

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 11:12:56 AM CST

Active surveillance in bird flu crisis zone

KATHMANDU, Jan 22: The Ministry of Health and Population has started active surveillance on people living around the bird flu crisis zone in Mechinagar - 10. "We will start active surveillance in 50 households today," said Dr Manas Kumar Banarjee, (Snip)

A doctor, an epidemiologist, and the chief of the rapid response team in Jhapa district, will go door-to-door to take the histories of those living around the crisis zone. The team will investigate if the people have travelled to bird flu-affected areas, have come in contact with dead chicks or chickens, if they have had any contact with a person who has died of acute respiratory disease recently, or if the person is suffering from a cold or cough, Dr Banarjee said.

(Snip) If any person is suspected of possibly carrying the virus, he/she will be taken to Bhadrapur Hospital and kept under intensive care. Tests conducted at the hospital will then be brought to the National Public Health Laboratory in Kathmandu to undergo the N5PCR test. http://myrepublica.com/portal/...

(Note: This sounds more than just a precautionary procedure to me. IMO,this sounds like they suspect there are active human BF cases occuring.)

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 14:29:55 PM CST

Forgot to add that this is in Nepal.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 14:33:02 PM CST

[ Parent ]

WHO - Avian influenza - situation in Indonesia

StorY
The Ministry of Health of Indonesia has announced two new confirmed cases of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. A 29-year-old female from Tangerang District, Banten Province developed symptoms on 11 December 2008, was hospitalized on 13 December and died on 16 December. The investigation indicated that she visited a wet market to buy fresh produce, including chicken meat, on a daily basis. Household contacts were placed under medical observation, where none developed illness.

The second case, a 5-year-old female from Bekasi City, West Java Province developed symptoms on 23 December 2008, was hospitalized on 27 Dec 2008 and died on 2 January 2009. The investigation indicated that she visited a wet market to buy chicken meat and eggs two days prior to symptom onset. Contacts were placed under medical observation, where none developed illness.

Laboratory tests confirmed the presence of the H5N1 avian influenza virus in both cases.

Source
http://www.who.int/csr/don/200...

New Cumulative cases 399/251 : still 63% CFR
Source
http://www.who.int/csr/disease...

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by: Kobie @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 15:17:54 PM CST

WHO - Updated H5N1 time line

http://www.who.int/csr/disease...

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by: Kobie @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 15:28:14 PM CST

Egypt finds more H5N1 in poultry

Egypt finds more H5N1 in poultry

Lisa Schnirring * Staff Writer

Jan 22, 2009 (CIDRAP News) - Veterinary authorities in Egypt today reported H5N1 avian influenza outbreaks in two governorates, as Chinese officials beefed up their avian flu reporting system and took other measures to limit human exposure to the virus.

Both of Egypt's outbreaks involved backyard poultry, according to reports posted today on the Web site of Egypt-based Strengthening Avian Influenza Detection and Response (SAIDR). The project, funded by the US Agency for International Development with assistance from Johns Hopkins University, is designed to help Egypt coordinate avian flu efforts with its international partners.

One of the outbreaks involved 53 chickens, ducks, and geese in Reva village in Asyut governorate. The vaccination status of the birds is not known. Asyut governorate is located in the middle of Egypt on the banks of the Nile River.

In the other outbreak, the virus struck 15 chickens, ducks, and geese in Seila Ezbet Edris village in Faiyum governorate. All of the birds had been vaccinated in 2008, the SAIDR report said. Faiyum governorate is in north-central Egypt, about 80 miles southwest of Cairo.
more at link
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu//cid...

Life is not so short but that there is always time enough for courtesy. Ralph Waldo Emerson

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by: mojo @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 21:07:10 PM CST

News for January 23 is up

here:

http://www.newfluwiki2.com/sho...

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by: gardner @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 22:31:30 PM CST